


Alpha

by BLACK_GEAR_026, LittleTooStranger



Series: Alpha-verse [1]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Iron Man (Comic), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (2012), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Kid Fic, Kidnapping, M/M, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-07
Updated: 2014-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-10 15:36:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BLACK_GEAR_026/pseuds/BLACK_GEAR_026, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTooStranger/pseuds/LittleTooStranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The civil war, registration and the skrull invasion are over, but the Avengers, though re-assembled are still holding grudges.<br/>Tony Stark, Iron Man no longer, is alone with only his robots for company. Pepper, still healing from her husbands death can't be around him, only contacting Tony as the CEO of Stark Resilient. Rhodey is only in contact when in need of a new suit, and Jarvis is busy at the Avengers Mansion. So Tony does what he does best. Builds. Until he gets kidnapped, gains a new family member, and the world is in danger again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue - Alpha

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first fanfic and I have not read the comics so this work is an au made via a compilation of the movies, wiki and fanfiction. It's set around the time Tony starts Stark Resilient [here](http://marvel.wikia.com/Anthony_Stark_%28Earth-616%29), and Heroic Age: Rebirth of The Avengers [here](http://marvel.wikia.com/Avengers_%28Earth-616%29) and based on this roster:
> 
> Avengers  
> Team Leader Maria Hill  
> Team Members Protector (Noh-Varr), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Thor (Thor Odinson) Wolverine (James Howlett), Hulk (Bruce Banner) (cinematic universe version)
> 
> "New" Avengers  
> Team Leader Luke Cage  
> Team Members Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green), Iron Fist (Daniel Rand), Jewel (Jessica Jones-Cage), Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), The Thing (Ben Grimm), Wolverine (James Howlett), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Victoria Hand
> 
> "Secret" Avengers  
> Team Leader Steve Rogers  
> Team Members Ant-Man (Eric O'Grady), Beast (Henry McCoy), Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), Moon Knight (Marc Spector), Nova (Richard Rider), Sharon Carter, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), War Machine (James Rhodes), Winter soldier (Bucky Barnes)
> 
>   [Link Here](http://marvel.com/universe/Avengers)
> 
> If things are a little inconsistent use AU logic and if you want tell me so maybe I can worm it in.

_Everything has lost its lustre and light. I see high heels tipped in blood. Wine-coloured lips curved in a pitiless smirk. Black, poisoned talons spreading decay as they pierce my skin. I strain against my puppet strings but to no avail as the disease crawls up my arm, devouring my flesh. I hear a steady rhythm as she leaves, the hated double-tap like shards of glass in my head, then a click of a lock. I am alone once more but it’s on me, in me... she’s in me..._

She awakes in a soundless scream that sends her tumbling out of her bed. Hyperventilating and curling into a ball she fights to take control, calming for a second before nausea hits her. Dry heaving into the basin, the girl is grateful that she skipped her meals for the day, until her vision blacks out and she’s on the floor, the white counter-top now splashed with red. She cringes as the morning sun hit her eyes, illuminating the dark circles underneath, and she grasps her forehead moaning at the pain. She slowly picks herself up gripping the counter-top, mindful of another dizzy spell and stares at her reflection. Grey green eyes glance back at her encrusted with dry tears. Her skin is deathly pale, giving her long black curls a sharp contrast.

Her current foster family was awake. She could hear Mrs Gerda setting the table while her husband was just leaving for work. They whispered in her mind full of pity and resignation, they were done worrying about her, which was probably why she stayed. Six months was a record for her and sometimes she wanted to leave just to spite her foster mother and her smug satisfaction at this. The girl smiled knowing that if she wanted to she could destroy the woman, as Mr Gerda was cheating on his wife with three other women at work. But the raven haired child decided to keep this information for a rainy day, after all twenty foster families in two years is a bit much, they were the best ones so far and she did have a fondness for even numbers.

With a shake of her head to clear the fog from her mind she crawled into the shower to wash the blood out of her hair, and she let the hot spray warm her aching body.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Tony noticed when he woke up was that he was cold and naked, strapped to a metal, medical table.  
"Tony Stark, finally awake I see."  
Panic swept through Tony at the recognition of the voice. _Shit._


	2. Beta

Clint was bone-dead tired. The kind of tired that only occurred after a botched mission in Dubai, fourteen hour flight and the Tracksuit Mafia’s particular brand of insanity on arrival, coupled with being unable to see Phil due to their respective jobs for over two weeks – so yeah, Clint was tired, and due in for some cuddle time with his boyfriend.

He trudged up the steps to HQ, parking his bike and fully intending on letting someone else deal with it. Phil was here, finally home after weeks being Fury’s paperwork-bitch, and if not for the fact that Clint couldn’t really walk straight, he’d be with Phil by now.

He slowed to a swagger before the common room, knowing Coulson would be lounging bonelessly there.

“Stop sneaking around, and get over here you idiot.”

“Aww, but you love it when I sneak, sir; show’s off my skills,” he follows the voice around the bend of the couch, leaning down to Coulson’s prone form for kisses. “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” the agent smiles back, soft and warm and Phil, everything Clint had missed and so much more. Clint can’t help but smile back, both of them Clint and Phil, tired and here, instead of Hawkeye and Agent Coulson, trained killers and assassins for SHIELD.

He lets himself be pulled down, curling into Phil’s side, his soft, worn t-shirt pressing into Clint’s face. “Missed you.” It comes out of nowhere, bubbles out of his throat and Clint can’t help but want to take it back; he likes to keep his cards close to his chest, still unsure that this _thing_ with Coulson isn’t going to come crashing down on his head and leave him with nothing.

“Missed you too.” Comes the reply nose buried into the archer’s sweaty hair, neither of them having the energy to care. The smell of Phil is overwhelming, cotton and clean and the spice of Phil, something under everything else.

They rest, and at some point Natasha pads into the room, Clint flapping a lazy hand over the back of the couch in reply. She chuckles, brushes her knuckles against his, and is gone, back to Pepper or wherever the hell it is she goes.

All in all it’s pretty relaxing, cuddled up and knowing that the two most important people in his life are safe.

At least until the alarm goes off.

Clint rolls into action, instinct taking over reason, and pulling a tense Coulson down to the floor with him. If this is another half-assed villain with some 90’s robotic tech again he’s going to bleed over everything Fury loves, so help him.

“Clint, come on.” It’s an order from Agent Coulson, and Clint can’t refuse, straightening out his field uniform and following his handler up to the Quin Jet, listening as the situation is explained; AIM again, big surprise, attacking some government defence-science base or something. Clint doesn’t really care; all he needs is a point-and-shoot command.

The team is almost there when they arrive; Thor’s in Asgard, big whoop, and Spidey would probably meet them there, Coulson organising a SHIELD Evac team on-site.

He listens (well, tries to) as Maria barks out orders from the SHIELD interface, pays attention to where he’ll be sniping from, making sure there is a good line-of-site of potential weak-spots, flicks out his bow and strings it, checking the shafts and fletching of his arrows. AIM wants to off some controversial electromagnetic pulse thing that would shut off all technology if activated. It would pretty much destroy their whole ‘Rule the World with Science’ thing, so he can see why they’d want to destroy it. None-the-less, it’s pretty annoying, considering he could have been having steamy, hot shower sex with Phil right now.

They drop him near the service entrance; he and Natasha will be entering first, Natasha to get to the Labs and secure the thing, Clint to make a path for the others, and make sure no stragglers ran off. He sets himself up in the rafters, dark enough to cover him, high enough that only a few skilled people would be able to reach him.

He looses’ a few arrows into the throats of some flunkies, making patrol or whatever they were supposed to be doing. Clint doesn’t pay it any mind, they’re dead now anyway, and watches as their bodies fall with a soft thump.

He waves to Jess when she walks in, Steve at her heels, and she waves back, spider-senses locating his position.

_Infiltration in progress._

He waits; radio silence until the device is confirmed and secured, falling into focus with every breath. This is the reason he’s so good at his job; he can settle into the headspace where time doesn’t matter, every movement around him charted with his sharp gaze.

He waits.

He breathes.

There is the distinct scrape of metal and a resounding explosion far off. His comm. crackles to life. “All Avengers, downstairs _now._ ” It’s Cap, and Clint folds in on himself, drops to the floor below, takes the stairs two at a time, bow strung and notched. He shoots two AIM thugs and stabs another, quick through the heart as he gets too close, before moving on.

He’s on the landing before he knows it, reduced down to Hawkeye and blood and violence, teeth bared in anticipation. Its anarchy, tech and equipment scattered around; Jess has wrapped herself around a man, snaps his neck with one powerful flex of her thighs, Wolverine is around somewhere if the screams of pain are any indication, and he’s pretty sure Natasha just used a micropipette to gorge out an eye. Through it all is Steve, in the centre where the fighting is the thickest, breaking skulls with his shield and generally being the peak of human physique.

He is standing in what appeared to be, to Clint’s uneducated, roadie mind, a demon cycle. All things considering, there was a reasonable chance that it was exactly that, but considering the lack of satanic chanting and the hoards of AIM pseudo-scientists, it was unlikely. Also, demon circles would have no effect on Captain America and his goodness, so he figured it was storage for the device that Steve was now clutching and defending with shield and fists, whining high and strong, enough for Clint to feel in his chest.

Hawkeye vaulted off the landing, firing two arrows into the mass of yellow bio-hazard suits in the warehouse, precise gaze tracking his teammates and foes with the same attention, gauging the level of threat of each battle.

He kicked and bit and fought, graceful and bloody, performing for an audience of death; bones crunching underfoot as he struggled his way over to The Widow, with her hair as red as blood and a hunger in her soul. They had each other’s backs, as always, and they moved with one purpose, one being, towards one goal.

Protect their own.

That was the Avengers, wasn’t it? They had each other’s backs; they had Steve’s back. They fought their way towards him; and yeah, these science geeks were going to have one hell of a mess to clean up, he thought, breaking one AIM goon’s face with his knee.

The closer they moved towards Cap, the stronger the mechanical whine became, drowning out all other sound, making their teeth chatter in their skulls. He shot a shock-round past Widow, and into a throng of enemies closing in, satisfied with the resulting hum of electrical static and dropping bodies.

Except, the taser arrow shouldn’t have knocked out the lights. A cry from Steve, the _whump_ of a falling body, Natasha at his back, growling out Russian; Hawkeye couldn’t _see_.

 _“Fuck_.”

Where was the fight? Where were the targets? Where was _he_?

His comm. crackled to life, “Stand down. Device contained, enemies stunned; regroup Avengers.” He’d never been so happy to hear Captain America’s goddamn voice again.

He slumps against Natasha when the lights come back on again, relishes in the broken and immobilised bodies and tech around him. Their suits must have short-circuited because of the EMP device-thing, and he kinda wishes they’d suffocate in there. SHIELD would have to send clean-up, and he’s sure that at least one of the three Avengers squads would get roped into helping.

Maria better not volunteer, goddamn it.

“Good work Avengers.” Steve told them, walking over with the now-broken device in his hand. God knows how the man continuously come out of battle unscathed, but that was super soldier serum for you; unfair.

“Nat, I’m tired,” he whined, draping an arm over her and leaning into it. “I don’t wanna debrief!”

When she wacked him, he just moaned some more, drapping himself over her even more and muttering into her hair.

“Боже мой, перестань скулить ты дибильный придурок!” Natasha groused, pulling him after their leader, “time to debrief and then you can go sleep.”

He moaned, dragging his feet a little as they headed outside to regroup. He’s pretty sure Hulk and AntMan had been destroying AIM’s reinforcements while they were busy, but the scientists would want a look at the device, and it was easier to get to medical and Coulson from outside.

Spiderwoman and Wasp had taken a few hits, and even Logan was looking worse for wear, uniform torn, but not a bruise or wound on him. Once again, Clint hated not having superpowers.

They split up at the Quin Jets, each headed to their Team Leaders, Clint swaying just a little as Natasha left his side.

_Great._

==-----------> O <\-----------==

 

Steve would be eternally grateful to whatever god was out there that the device had malfunctioned. The Avengers did not need the public or political damage that thousands of dollars of now-useless tech would put on them. Not to mention that pretty much the whole economy would collapse, but he _really_ wasn’t going to think about that right now. 

“Rogers, what happened out there,” Hill enquired, falling into step beside him.

“Well ma’am, I was fighting of these AIM punks, and the whole darn building just shut off, and all the AIM guys went down too. So the way I figure it, their suits or something must’a been running or some form of electricity.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” she replied, shaking her head, “Look, Cap, just take the tech over to Beast and Pym, do up a report and we can file this under _Weird Shit that happens to the Avengers_.”

He nodded, and watched her run off to her own team, already on his way over to Team Science, minus Stark. Somehow that thought sobered him up, anger and pain rising up again at the thought of his former friend.

“Beast I bought you a present.” He called, happy to see Hank turn from his examination of Spiderman’s injuries to take the device.

“Mr. Rogers, much obliged.”

He set the device on the lab table, pulling on his glasses and motioning for Hank Pym, and clicking his comm. on for the whole team’s benefit. “You say it just went off?”

“Yeah, real weird-like too, started humming buzzing like crazy.”

“I’d say it’s short-circuited, faulty tech. It’s alright though; almost everything is back online, with the rest just calibrating.” The blue man smiled, and Steve started to relax.

“What about planes and life-support?” the comm. crackles, and the worried tenor of Doreen Green comes through. Steve shook his head, praying to god that no-one had been injured.

McCoy frowned, poking further at the device, "Fortunately it didn't fully activate. The resulting pulse seems to have only affected large machines and supercomputers around the world, as well as some smaller devices in close proximity, shutting them off for no more than a second, though even this can be catastrophic to the aforementioned larger electrical systems. No large disasters or problems have been reported as of yet."

He frowned then, as the musical tones of a phone went off, and reached for his pocket for his own, grimacing at the caller ID.

“Better take a look at it though, might turn out useful. I’m sure SHIELD want to take a peek as well, considering.” Pym spoke up. “You’re assistance Dr. McCoy?”

“Of course Hank,” the good doctor replied, “if you would excuse me for a moment.”

==-----------> O <\-----------==

 

He heard the scrape of the cell door but didn’t bother to look up. _What’s the use, I’m blindfolded. Not like I’m going to see anything anyway,_ he thought, resisting the urge to fidget in his shackles. It would only make them cut deeper into his already bloody wrists.

“Ah, Tony how are you enjoying your stay? I trust the room is to your liking?” hissed a rusty voice at his ear. 

“Yeah, very dungeons and dragons; also mister metal vampire, how about a breath mint? It could really improve our date doomy-bot.” Tony sneered.

“I see you haven’t learned to hold your tongue Tony. I would have hoped for all your intellect, you’d be persuaded to submit.” Doom barked out, earning a disgusted laugh from his captive.

“I bet you say that to all the girls, and showering me with your disgusting spit is your worst torture yet. Well not that the other, pleasantries haven’t been, how would you put it? Doom inducing. Yeah that sounds right, they were unoriginal and didn’t amount to anyth..” Doom wrapped his hand around Tony’s throat, cutting him off with a strangled gurgle.

“ENOUGH WITH YOUR INCESANT NOISE, DOOM WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH INSOLENCE! I will cut out your vocal cords as soon as this is finished. Or maybe... a shock collar is more your style,” exclaimed Doom, trailing off to a low laugh. Tony screamed as the electric current coursed through his body. _Fucking Doom and his fucking powers,_ he thought as Doom released his grip, proceeding to caress the now blistering skin, making Tony flinch away, and then attempt to spit onto Victor Von Doom’s face. It’s not like the guy doesn’t fucking deserve it anyway.

Tony expected the hard slap that followed but smiled as blood trickled down his face. Got _ya! How do you like that nuts and bolts!_ he thought but refrained from vocalising, doubting he could due to the abuse his throat and jaw had taken. It’s so like Doom to go for the typical torture and power display. He would have thought the evil overlord would have learnt by now that it got him nowhere.

Like a puppet with its strings cut Tony crumbled to the floor, the wind knocked out of him from the unexpected fall, and loosened his body as he was then unceremoniously dragged out of the cell. Sagging into the hold of his captors, Tony put all his focus on memorising the path. He may have been blindfolded during most of his stay but by now he had a pretty good map in his head, all he needs now is a distraction.

Thinking over his situation, Tony felt like he was going to be sick. He remembers Reed telling him about the last time Doom tried to achieve this particular goal, how the metal bastard tried to kidnap Reed’s kid in order to have a heir, but with that plan thwarted now it was onto plan B it seemed. But where the hell did Victor get it into his head that kidnapping someone, giving them a sex change, then forcing them to have a kid, was a sane idea. _Oh yeah,_ Tony remembered, _it’s cause Doom’s FUCKING INSANE!_

A reunion with his face and the floor snapped Tony out of this particular train of thought. Thanks to the lack of restraints Tony ripped the blindfold off, wincing as his eyes adjusted to the light. The sight of a medieval walled room greeted him from within the confines of his... cage? That was below a large misshapen mass of metal, wires and plastic. The Frankenstein machine was supported by three tesla-coil like pillars, and covered the roof and a large portion of the walls with a lattice of shiny electronics. _Oh yeah...sex change time…_ Tony shuddered at the notion, and locked eyes with Doom who sat regally on a thrown at the far end of the room. Yeah, right, Evil Overlord; got it.

“Why me?” the Old hero asked as he struggled to keep the fear from his eyes.

“Obviously, because my son will be a genius, he must be sired by two sets of intelligent blood. The Extremis virus, although I hear it is no longer functional, is an added bonus. No one will notice your absence. There are none who care about your whereabouts and thus no one to come to your rescue,” Doom finished, with a manic gleam in his eyes, and, what Tony would assume to be a smirk beneath his metal face. Tony visibly deflated at the words, and knew he was done for, his head bowed in defeat as the machine came to life. A pink field enveloped the cage as the mechanic shrills grew louder and pillars lit up with arcing energy. Tony’s skin tingled as science and magic dug into his DNA.

Then suddenly a loud pop resonated around the room. _A malfunction?_ speculated Tony as the machine flickered and started to burst random sparks like popcorn. One of the pillars exploded in a magnificent spectacle, leaving a crater and showering debris that took out walls, floors and adjacent machinery alike.

He only had a second to get a glimpse of his surroundings as lightning started to arc around the room, blinding him, but Tony already had a plan. As fast as his legs could carry him, Tony crawled out of the mangled side of the cage and bolted for an unstable arch that was at the point of collapse. If Tony believed in a god, he would be praying in hopes that he would dodge the spears of lightning. As luck would have it none of the fatal arcs hit him and he stumbled through the arch which came down behind him.

Tony ran on despite his leg’s protests, using his mental map to cut a path to the store room. It took him fifteen minutes to get there, where he locked the door behind him. Finally Tony was able to rest and curled in on himself as he tried to calm his racing heart. Feeling nauseous and faint, Tony rubbed his trembling hands down his face to try and wipe the blur out of his eyes.

“Still male, thank fuck!” he whispered after a pat check, and breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay, panic attack later, escape now.” Tony decided, scanning the room and let out a little exclamation of triumph as he spotted his clothes and... yes! His phone, full battery, reception and everything. Tony marvelled at his creation but recoiled when he heard a commotion outside. _Dammit,_ Tony’s eyes raked his surroundings, searching for a way out. Walls, roof, floor... grating! Bundling up his possessions Tony lifted off the grating enough to squeeze through, and splash down into the murky sewage water bellow. 

Tony staggered down the sewer tunnels, leaning heavily against the mouldy walls. It seemed like forever until he got to the surface, where the tunnel opened up to a rocky mountain side. Knowing he didn’t have time to waste, he started the perilous decent down the slope, feet scraping against the gravel and shards of rock, but he paid it no heed, his feet already raw and bruised. They slapped loudly against the stone, wet sewage dripping from him, and he slipped, moving too fast. Losing his footing he tumbled down the slope, coming to rest in a disorientated heap at the base.

Vision doubled, Tony rolled over and was promptly sick over the rocks to his side. He lay there gasping, as he waited for the black spots in his sight to pass, before noticing wetness between his legs. As his searching hands came away covered in red, Tony propped himself up on his elbows to examine the gash across his inner thigh. _Didn’t hit an artery, but still a lot of blood... too much blood. I’m going to lose consciousness soon,_ he thought, and forced himself to get up. Practically crawling into the nearby forest, Tony stabbed Jarvis’ number into his phone. After no response he tried Bruce’s, but that too didn’t work, and he ended up tripping over tree roots as he passed.

Tony took it one step at a time, his body slumped with exhaustion and as the rain started to fall the cold seeped into his bones. He needed a doctor... DOCTOR! Seeing a cave in the distance, Tony scrambled into the shelter and weakly typed Beast’s number into his phone. “Hank,” Tony coughed over the phone before putting it on loud speaker and collapsing next to it.

“Tony? What is it I’m a little busy.”

“Help...Lost blood.”

“Tony! What happened, was it a lab accident? Hold on I’ll get the others.”

“No! Please... please don’t tell... Not... I’m not at the lab,” Another bought of wet coughs wracked through him, and as his eyes refocused he saw two figures outside the cave entrance.

“Tony? Where are you? Tony!” Hank’s voice was laced with worry. Worry? Huh, he hadn’t heard that directed at him in a while, mused his brain as it tried to override the fear before it took over.

“They found me... oh god they’re... no I don’t want to go back!” rasped Tony, his voice at the edge of hysteria. The sound of his own panicky heartbeat drowned out Beast’s response, as Tony stared at the two henchmen coming towards him. They must have tracked him though the scrub, _oh god_.

“No... please no,” Tony begged, eyeing the closest approaching form, which went down is a spray of red. The thug made a sick, wet bubble noise as he suffocated on his own life fluids, pawing at the hole where his throat was meant to be. The second let out a blood curdling scream as a wolf tore into his insides, and soon he too went silent. His heart raced in his chest, _he was next, and he was going to die here._

The animal stared at the corpse it was sitting on for a moment before training its intelligent eyes on Tony. That was the last thing he saw before the world went black.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stranger: So, here's part two! Sorry it took so long, my fault really, took too long to get my butt in gear. First two parts are written by me, and beta'd by B-G, and Tony's part was her's beta'd by your's truly.
> 
> Sorry-not-sorry for all the Clint/Coulson. I love the Babies.
> 
> Natasha traslation: "Oh my god, stop crying you moronic nitwit."
> 
> Concrit welcome, flames will fuel Stony passions.
> 
> B-G: My co-author is absolutely AMAZING AND FANTASTIC. *GWOMPS stranger and smothers her is a tight hug*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Gamma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony’s creations are always very protective of him, especially when he is in such a state. From the doorway Henry Mcoy could see the dark bags under his sapphire eyes, and how tightly the inventor’s skin clung to his bones due to dehydration and starvation. He hadn’t even bothered to dress, clad in a simple pair of black boxers and mechanical related filth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT! Had a bit of a screw up in posting. been so long i though this part was in another chapter.

Tony sat hunched in a nest on electronics, material scraps, coffee cups and other miscellaneous crap, as he focused on soldering the circuit board clutched in his shaky hands.  
“For the last time, no, I don’t want to talk about it. There is nothing to talk about blue-boy, and if I ever do need to talk about anything, I have my bots! Well and J.A.R.V.I.S, not at the moment of course! But, the point still stands,” he shot over his shoulder, “Isn’t that right DUM-E?” The former Avengers face softened as he cooed at the helper-bot that was currently being used as a back rest. The metal arm apparatus responded in a series of fond clicks and whistles from its protective position over its creator. His brother worked not far away. Sorting through the rubble and situating itself like a roadblock between Beast and Tony.

Tony’s creations are always very protective of him, especially when he is in such a state. From the doorway Henry Mcoy could see the dark bags under his sapphire eyes, and how tightly the inventor’s skin clung to his bones due to dehydration and starvation. He hadn’t even bothered to dress, clad in a simple pair of black boxers and mechanical related filth. "Tony, would you just look at yourself!” The mutant growled in exasperation, gesturing at the prone form in front of him, his dynamic voice clear over the typical workshop noise. “You have been hiding down here for two weeks straight, and I do believe you haven’t slept nor eaten since I have last seen you. Ah, ah. No. Coffee does not count.”  
“Oh don’t get your tights in-” Tony began only to be cut off by a sharp exclamation of his name from the blue doctor, followed by a long suffering huff. “I’m fine,” Tony forced out, the fake mirth draining from his face to leave a tired grimace, “This ain’t my first rodeo...” His voice trailed off and he curled in on himself further, running a hand along DUM-E’s scaffold in a defensive gesture. Soon Beast would leave and Tony could go back to work, clouding his tortured mind with calculations and schematics. The pesky Doctor would give up eventually. _Everyone always does and I have no one to blame but myself,_ the creator thought bitterly.

“Just tell me the results, please," he snapped, cutting off Beast’s next protest. The blue figure glared for a moment then finally relented with a frustrated huff.  
“Still no obvious changes present in the bio scans, and your DNA correlates with past test samples. The Extremis readings are where the worry is. The virus main functions are still offline, but the abnormal activity I see here is the cause of much confusion and concern. I will analyse the data some more when I have a spare moment, and advise on a few more experiments and scans.”  
Tony nodded in acknowledgment.  
“Will that be all Hank?” he asked, the query a clear dismissal.  
“No, I do have one more uncertainty. What is that... creature, doing here?” Beast asked, gesturing towards the figure lounging on the couch.  
The large creature glanced at the blue mutant, obviously bored by the avenger’s presence.  
“Oh leave her alone, no need to get jealous buttercup. You both saved me. There is plenty of this fine, helpless ass to go around,” Tony responded flippantly, his tone indifferent but gaze troubled. After butchering the two scout’s, the black and gold wolf had curled up around Tony's bleeding body, providing the unconscious man with some much needed warmth until Beast and Nightcrawler had arrived. 

“Tony, that thing i-”  
“She.”  
“...She, is not normal!”  
“And you are?” The inventor shot back casually, as he looked towards Butterfingers. The third bot had taken a liking to the canine, petting her in awe and glee as a toddler would.  
"Point taken. Just promise me you will proceed with all due caution?” the doctor asked.  
At Tony’s affirmative gesture, he then took his leave.

Once the Creator was sure one of his furry guests was gone, Tony shifted his gaze to the other. Eyes like white fire met those of clear ocean blue and Tony was frozen. The cold orbs of the she-wolf were striking; he could understand Beast's unease. Intelligent and cunning, the canine had already groomed the blood out of her fur before Tony had even woken up. It had puzzled the inventor to no end why the wolf had spared him, though not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he did not dwell on it too much. Plus the company of another organic was nice for a change, even if he was a second away from breaking apart. 

Tony wasn’t stupid, and knew that he would eventually have a mental breakdown, with a side of panic attack, a sprinkle of self hate, washed down with a full glass of fuck my life. Being kidnapped, beaten and abandoned as well as other things, so many times, has not been good for his head to put it lightly. Hell he’d even died a few times. Private mental breakdowns were basically routine now, something to get over and then continue on from with relative normality. Alas, that did not make them any less unpleasant. The longer the inventor resisted shattering the harder it got to hold together, and the worse the eventual episode would be, but still Tony resisted. Not to mention the she-wolf currently lounging in the room. 

Hell Jarvis was offline and it’s not like the wolf could tell others no matter what it understood. “So... you didn’t kill me. Don’t know why though, it would be a gift to the world,” The creator began.  
Now was as good a time as any.  
“Everyone would rejoice. Plus getting eaten by a wolf would be a hell of a way to go, especially by something like you. It would be pretty efficient and gory, judging by how quickly you dispatched those two doom goons," he rambled, following the train of thought.  
"Well that is if I remember it correctly, or if any of this is happening. Hey maybe I'm dead or hallucinating? Or maybe I'm in a coma from Doom's sparkly pink, magic, FEM-Ray? Wait that would mean I'd be still in the clutches of that creepy weirdo NO! No! Ew! Getting away from that horrifying scenario thank-you. Though Dr Doom was right about the fact that no one would notice my disappearance, hell I doubt anyone but Beast and Banner would actually try to save me. Don't know why you did, why are you here anyway?”  
Suddenly, the circuit board zapped him for his carelessness, and he yelped. Tony threw it across the room in frustration. YU raced after the discarded item but the inventor could care less.  
“Stupid aim and their stupid EMP shit, yeah probably saved my dick but did it have to take out Jarvis? Thank God he can shut down to protect himself, but it fried all of his external hardware. Now it’s just so... silent,” Tony continued. His rambling got faster and faster, mouth skipping words as he felt the emotional dam about to give away.  
“...hey maybe they would make a holiday, you know, for my death. They would dance on my grave and sing you praises. ‘Cuz you’re a god wolf, get it, hahaha... well Jarvis would have got it,” Tony monologued, his voice cracking, “Hey what’s with the long face, wait that’s a horse, never mind.”  
 _Okay that was ridiculous even for me,_ he criticized internally, his mouth continuing despite itself.  
"...you know, no-one has really talked to me for two years before this whole kidnapping incident. I was stupid enough to think I had friends but hello, nope they just wanted my money. Like everyone else, can’t say I’m surprised it is me we are...”  
Tony stood up and started to lightly pace, ignoring the debris that cut into the soles of his feet as he continued, “... so many issues, maybe I should just pay a psychiatrist to talk to me. The fucker would probably blackmail me but hey if I get really desperate I’ll go all villain on them or something, not like anyone expects any different. ”  
His words turned into sobs approaching the point of hysteria.  
“It would be so much easier, so much fucking easier to just let go, just fucking let go...” the creator trailed off, collapsing onto his knees as his body was wracked with silent sobs. Tony wrapped his arms around himself, eyes shut as he fought uselessly to gain control. As if physically holding himself together would somehow transcend to his crumbling psyche. 

A cold touch forced Tony to look up in shock, and was now faced with dead white eyes surrounded by black and gold. The she-wolf let out a comforting whimper and nuzzled Tony’s face, gently licking up a few tears that had managed to escape, and forcing a light hiccup of a laugh from the broken man. The inventor let a little smile show as he ruffled her cheek fur and whispered a heartfelt thank you, then trailed his arms down her back till he was embracing the she wolf in a tight hug. There, face buried in soft, wild fur he finally let go. Clinging to the she-wolf like lifeline, Tony felt her adjusting herself so to apply light pressure to his chest. Tony fell asleep much later to the great wolf’s strong, steady heartbeat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B-G: Btw the thing at the end with the pressure on the chest is called pressure therapy (if I am recalling correctly) and can help calm panic attacks and the such. Also the metal breakdown is loosely based on my own experiences and I had a lot of trouble trying to put it into words so i hope it makes sense.


	4. Delta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the owner of the office finally arrived, Tony positioned himself so he was facing the other way, posture relaxed, legs crossed and an evil genius smile adorning his lips. “Mr. Anderson,” The Inventor purred as he spun around slowly, only to raise an eye brow in reply at the petite hazel eyed woman in front of him, “Oh. Well, more appropriately Ms Anderson.”

The former avenger’s eyes roamed around the office he has just broken into. It was a simple enough workspace. Ice blue walls covered in very strange, ironic posters, an extensive bookcase in the corner, and a fancy glass desk with an unremarkable laptop and assorted knickknacks. He had already hacked into the computer with ease but Tony had yet to find anything useful. Frankly there was zilch about this Dr. Anderson at all in the official databases, hence why Tony decided to arrive uncharacteristically early and snoop through the Dr’s computer. Now bored, the inventor resumed his analysis of the room from his backwards position on the swivel chair, leaning on the backrest and spinning around lazily with periodical flicks of his feet. _I must incorporate this swivel into my own work chairs, this is pretty amusing, but what is up with these posters? Oooh! Found porn, ___Tony thought as he began to browse.  
When the owner of the office finally arrived, Tony positioned himself so he was facing the other way, posture relaxed, legs crossed and an evil genius smile adorning his lips. “Mr. Anderson,” The Inventor purred as he spun around slowly, only to raise an eye brow in reply at the petite hazel eyed woman in front of him, “Oh. Well, more appropriately Ms Anderson.” Nabbing the name plaque mid-spin, Tony gave the head of social services an appreciative onceover, followed with a low wolf whistle. “A bit unprofessional ey darling? Not that I’m complaining. Always like anything red honestly," he continued, commenting on the brown boots, black jeans, white shirt and red leather jacket. Dr Anderson responded via a seamless raised eyebrow and glare combo. She then adjusted a lock of her wine red hair with a practiced flick of the wrist.  
“Don't try buttering me up, that sort of stuff doesn't work on me - especially from you. Now outta my chair.”

The creator stared at the Dr lazily as she approached.  
"By the way,” he commented, “This is a pretty neat swivel chair. Mines better though." The red head countered Tony’s smug grin with her own 'don't care your argument is invalid' version.

“This chair has a special feature though,” she continued, walking forward and leaning over to flick a leaver. This causes the back of the chair to drop away suddenly, depositing the pesky occupant onto the fractal carpet floor.  
“It certainly comes in handy.”  
“I see,” Tony continued unfazed as he stood up, brushed himself off, and languidly sauntered about the room.  
"Nice posters," he commented, motioning towards the ironman cereal poster. The oddity being the 'True IronMan' scrawled across the nutri-grain poster in Sharpe.  
"Fan?"  
“Of the cereal? - Yes big fan,” Dr. Anderson replied dismissively as she flipped through the file in her hands, “You, I'm still deciding.” The doctor pushed her chair back behind the desk, eyes tracking the former avenger as he began to fiddle with the items on the desk.  
“Don't touch my bobble heads- I didn't give you permission,” she barked sharply in reprimand, “Also I think one has a taser feature but I can never remember which one. You're welcome to find out though.” Tony sent Dr. Anderson an assessing look, noting her too sweet smile and hopeful glace. He then pulled his hand away warily before collapsing on one of the provided guest chair with the usual stark air.

“Now onto more serious matters, which is the reason I actually called you here. As much as I love the pleasure of your company-”  
“- my company is nothing but pleasu- ow what the fuck! Didn’t anyone teach you it’s not nice to throw shit at people,” he grumbled, shielding himself from the possibility of more flying projectiles with a pout.  
“Sit down and shut up,” Tessani Anderson snapped as she strolled serenely around the desk to perch on the edge on front of him. The head of social services retrieved a picture from the file in her hands, and placed it on Tony’s lap.  
“I’ve been tracking a target for quite some time now. Recognise her?” she asked, letting the creator study the image. The woman had long, blonde hair, vertically straightened so much that they likened to icicles. Stylish shades covered her eyes and the mystery woman had bold red lips the colour of dried blood.  
"Hmm, doesn’t ring any bells sorry. What does this have to do with me anyway?” Tony asked, still in the dark as to the purpose of the meeting. With a sigh, Tessani pinched the bridge of her nose.  
”How do I put this delicately...” the red head began, her tone exasperated before she fell silent for a moment in contemplation. She then did a sudden motion that clearly scream ‘screw it’ and took a deep breath in. Tess would need to be fast in order to stop the creator for going into one of his long rants.

“Congratulations Stark, you’re a daddy. No this isn’t a prank, I don’t joke. The product of your fruitful loins is in need of some fatherly guidance. But alas, you’re all I have to work with,” Tess started, taking advantage of Tony’s obvious ‘error does not compute’ state of mind to continue, “Now I know, you’re thoroughly unprepared for the joys of parenthood but I need you to try. I don’t care about your tragic past, so you can’t use that as an excuse. Tony, I know that you wouldn’t pick this, but this child never got a choice and she needs you now. So get out of that self-deprecating hole your nesting and put on your big boy pants. She’s waiting outside. Now go, I have better things to do than give pep-talks and stroke your ego.”

Tony was frozen in shock, his mouth gaping like a fish before resorting to denial.  
"Haha very funny Doc, but no,” the creator forced out with a shaky laugh, his mind stuck in an endless loop, "I would know if I had a child, really if you expect-"  
Dr. Tessani whacked him over the head with a file to stop his rambling, shocking him back to reality. She was taking none of his juvenile bull.  
“For someone who doesn’t want a child you sure act like one."  
Leaning in close Anderson tapped the picture and explained, “You and she had a hell of a fun night, amidst a few poorly placed drinks and as the miracle that life is, you made her. “ Another picture joined the one on Tony’s lap.  
“This kid has had a pretty rough ride, almost as bad as yours,” She stated softly, coming down to eye level so her soft hazel eyes could convey how serious this matter was.

"Are you out of your mind? Have you not heard of my reputation?" he pointed out as his already over stressed brain struggled to organize the mass amount of data that the situation was creating. Tony just had a mental breakdown yesterday, even if it was unlikely that he would have another so soon, his mind was certainly giving it a go.

“Unfortunately, to be perfectly honest I'm surprised that this is the first child you've come across in all your...endeavours.”  
"Exactly, I am the worst possible person for the job."  
“Look, I'm not saying you're Mary Poppins material either. But you are still better than nothing, and you're not entirely useless,” she retorts, flinging the file behind her on the desk.  
“There has got to be better places to put her than with me, seriously, no one would ever put a child in my custody. S.H.I.E.D would-”

Tessani placed her hands on either side of the chair and pointed out, “I've been actively looking, and you're my only viable option, her only viable option. Her tenacity levels rival your own; she is half you after all. Any other option or plan I've come up with she's managed to wrangle her way out of it.”  
She then shows a smile that is all teeth.  
“Let me worry about S.H.I.E.L.D,” Tessani added in an amused tone before spinning the chair around, “Don’t over think this. After all you know of all the things not to do.” The Dr. then proceeded to kick open the door and shove the shocked inventor out. ”Second door on the left, and don't keep her waiting women hate that.”

All was silent but for Tony’s panicked breathing, as he leaned heavily on Dr. Anderson’s door. The name plate dug harshly into the back of his head but the Inventor failed to process this over the raging torrent that was his mental space.  
The idea of having children has always terrified Tony, in no small part due to his own father. _I’ll fuck up, I’ll be a disappointment... Oh god what if I turn out to be just like him! __the former avenger thought, horrified at the notion, _Well at least she’s not a baby, and surely she’s smart enough to see that I’m not the right person for the job. I only have to see her, not take her. ____  
He thinks back to his own past and mentally slaps himself, Tony can’t just abandon her. _I’m an alcoholic, am irresponsible, not to mention self centred. I’m completely unstable and a screw up; I can’t even look after myself! But if I leave her then I’ll be just like Dad, just like when he sent me away to college when I was seven. ___  
Doubt washes over him; what if she turns out like him, no one should have to live a cursed life of a Stark. _There is no way I can do this I’ll ignore her, everything I touch I break, __he thinks.  
Suddenly the door opens and Tony is knocked out of his mental musings as he balances himself. “Seriously,” uttered Dr. Anderson, who then proceeded to drag the inventor down the hall and place him in front of the correct door. Just as she is about to open it in order to shove Tony in, her phone announces a call through a ringtone version of ‘Let It Go’. “It's your choice now,” Tess advises, flicking her side braid back behind her shoulder as she checks the caller id, “what's next is entirely up to. But she asked for you, think about that.”_

Again Tony is left standing speechless as the red head swiftly trots back to her office to accept the call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW so long no update B-G here. Unfortunately my lovely Co-author may not be involve in this fic as was once originally planned so I am continuing mainly myself with additions from her if she feels a spark of inspiration. This is my part I had finished ages ago and yes i screwed up the posting but it is fixed now i hope.
> 
> Though this means I am short for a muse like person so if you have any prompts or ideas comment! I may use them! side stories and pairings welcome. Thankies everyone for reading.
> 
> Also thankyou to my lovely friend who I modeled Anderson after. We kind of role-played so these are her legit responses.

**Author's Note:**

> So feedback?
> 
> EDIT: //So a secondary author had been added (i.e. LittleTooStranger, AKA: me) and I'm very excited to be added to this project. B-G has been thinking this up for a while, so feedback would be greatly appreciated, especially constructive critism.//


End file.
